Packing material



Nov. 8, 1938. M. R. FENSKE 2,135,703

PACKING MATERIAL Filed June 21, 1955 FIG.

Patented Nov. 8, v 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application June 21,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to packing material, and with regard to certain more specific features, to packing material for bringing about phase contact.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of packing material of the class described'which has a greatly improved overall efiiciency as compared with prior types of packing material, the improved features comprising the extent of intimacy of contact produced between the phases contacted, such as liquid and vapors, the throughput capacity of the packing material and the like; the provision of packing material of the class described in which the units of the packing material interlock together with great facility to form a coherent, uniform mass, the density of packing material in any one region whereof being .substantially equal to the density of material in any other region; and the provision of a packing material which by its form is adapted to be manufactured with maximum facility and from a variety of materials as the occasion demands. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated one form of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a phase-contacting device, specifically, a fractionating tower, packed with packing material made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a unit, which in conjunction with other similar units, comprises the packing material of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the unit of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the unit of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Fig. l ofthe drawing of the present application shows diagrammatically, at numeral I, a phase contacting device. In the present instance, this comprises, for example, a fractionating tower. The tower I is filled with a mass of packing material 2. The packing material comprises an interlocked mass of packing units. The tower'l is provided with a vapor inlet 3, a vapor 1935, Serial No. 27,824

outlet 4, and a liquid outlet 5. The mixed vapors entering at 3 are fractionated in the tower into lighter vapors emerging at l and heavier liquids, condensed and emerging at B. This tower of Fig. 1 serves only by way of example, of the vari- 5 ous devices in which the present packing material invention is adapted for use.

The present invention provides new packing material which has both improved capacity factor and improved eificiency factor.

Each of the packing units of the present invention, comprises a single-turn, relatively smalldiameter wire helix. This is illustrated at numeral 6 in Fig. 2. In the embodiment shown, the invention is in the form of a circular helix, but this is not a necessary feature. It may be elliptical or even some polygonal figure. An important feature is that the ends 1 of the helix 8 are displaced from one another by a relatively short distance in a direction parallel to the axis of the helix. This displacement should preferably be equal at least to one thickness of the wire making up the helix, so that the units may pass into and interlock with each other.

It will readily be seen that packing units made in the form shown in Fig. 2, when assembled in a bunch, will immediately and eflectively interlock to form a coherent mass which is separable only upon the exertion of considerable force. This fact is distinctly desirable as it permits the handling of masses of units, or composite packing material masses, with great facility in the filling of towers and the like.

It is desirable that the packing material as just described be kept relatively small indimension. For example, it has been found very satisfactory to make the packing material of Number 26 gauge wire. The units may be about V to a"; inch in diameter. These figures are not to be considered as limiting, but merely indicative of the size of units which find satisfactory use in accordance with the present invention.

The helical form of the wire ring of the present invention offers distinct advantages over the substantially uni-planar wire ring shown in Figures 5 and 6 of my Patent No. 2,037,317, granted May 14, 1936, in that the axially separated ends cause interlocking to take place with much greater facility between the assembly or mass of units. Furthermore, a helical unit such as provided in the present invention is more economical to manufacture than the uni-planar unit of my said patent, since the unit of the present invention can be readily made by slitting a long, multi-turn wire helix, such as a spring.

The wire from which the present packing material is made should be chosen for its qualities with respect to theuse to which it is to be put.

For example, for packing material to be used in In view oi! the above, it will be seen that the several oblects oi the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could .be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. Packing material comprising an interlocked mass of units, each .unit comprising a single-tum wire helix, the ends of which are separated in a direction parallel to the axis of the helix.

2. Packing material comprising an interlocked mass of units, each unit comprising a single-turn wire helix, the ends of said helix being separated in a direction parallel to the axis of the helix by an amount substantially equal to one thickness of the wire making up the unit, said helix being circular in plan view.

MERREIL ROBERT FENBKE. 

